The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of carnation that is grown for use as a flowering plant for pots and containers. The new cultivar is known botanically as Dianthus×hybrida and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘Devon Starling’.
‘Devon Starling’ is a complex hybrid plant that is the product of a breeding program started by the inventor in 1980. The breeding program is ongoing, conducted in a cultivated area of Houndspool, Dawlish, Devon, United Kingdom. The primary focus of the breeding program is to produce new cultivars of carnations that exhibit unique growth habit. The inventor selected ‘Devon Starling’ in 2000 for its unique pronounced compact habit accompanied by abundant vivid purple flowers that bloom from May through October.
‘Devon Starling’ is a dwarf carnation exhibiting pronounced compact habit, grey-green foliage, and vivid purple flowers. The colors of stems, leaves, calyx, and epicalyx are of material retaining the characteristic waxy bloom of Dianthus. ‘Devon Starling’ resulted from the open pollination between Dianthus ‘Peace’ (unpatented) as female parent plant and an unidentified and unknown variety of Dianthus as male parent plant. Dianthus ‘Peace’ is a cultivar of unknown parentage but derived from Dianthus gratianopolitanus (species, unpatented) and other Dianthus species and hybrids.
‘Devon Starling’ is distinguishable from the female parent by pronounced compact habit and purple flowers. Dianthus gratianopolitanus, also known as the Cheddar Pink, has pink flowers on a loose open plant habit.
The varieties of Dianthus which are considered by the inventor to most closely resemble ‘Devon Starling’ are the two unpatented varieties Dianthus ‘Whatfield Magenta’ and Dianthus ‘Warden Hybrid’. When compared with these two varieties, the flowers of ‘Devon Starling’ are larger and exhibit a deeper and more saturated coloration. In addition, plants of ‘Devon Starling’ flower over a longer period than the two varieties and the plant habit of ‘Devon Starling’ is more compact and mounding.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the inventor in 2000 in a cultivated area of Houndspool, United Kingdom. The method of asexual propagation used was vegetative cuttings. Since that time the characteristics of the new cultivar have been determined stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.